Years of experience in having dialogues with Christians of diverse denominations tells me that an earnest follower of Jesus Christ would most probably like to have an honest answer from a Muslim to the following question, before he would seriously consider learning more about Islam. 

Why should he or she give up following someone who did not even open his mouth under the severest kind of persecutions and follow someone who chose to retaliate with sword, when persecuted?

          The Holy Bible tells us that it was the preordained “Will of the Almighty God” that His Messenger (Jesus) do not “open his mouth under the severest kind of persecution”. Centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, God revealed His preordained Will to a prophet named Isaiah. This Will is recorded in The Book Of Isaiah as under: 

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7.

     The above passage though written in the past tense is in fact to be understood as being spoken in the future tense. A bible scholar would say; it speaks of the events that were yet to take place. A Christian would proudly acknowledge; Jesus Christ was the one who fulfilled the above prophecy. Looking at this “prophecy” from another perspective, one realizes that Jesus Christ was ushered or conducted through the entire process of his persecution, in accordance with the prophesied “Will of the Almighty God”.

The Next Question...

     The next question that arises is; did the God's Messenger  Muhammad also conduct his life according to the preordained “Will of the Almighty God”? If the answer is affirmative, then did the Almighty God divulge His preordained Will to any of the biblical prophets? The answer is Yes. He revealed it to prophet Isaiah. This second preordained Will of God has also been recorded in The Book Of Isaiah. The recorded “Will” speaks of God's Messenger to be raised in “Arabia”, who will “go forth like a soldier”, “act like a warrior”, “stir up his fury” and “show himself mighty against his foes”. 

      Before one commences to read the recorded text, it is essential to comprehend how such prophecies are recorded in the Holy Bible. The following narration of an event from the Holy Bible will give a better understanding:

     While accusing King David for the grave sin committed by him, Gods Messenger – Nathan, says to the King:

“Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.”                            2 Samuel 12:12 

     In the above prophecy, God said; “I will take your wives…, I will give them to…, I will do this thing …” We know that the Almighty God was not planning to come down upon this earth Himself and do what He had promised to do. The Holy Bible records in the Second Book of Samuel that Absalom carried out the things that the Almighty God had prophesied to do “Himself”. 

Preordained Will Of God...

    Going back to the story of Muhammad, the prophecy begins with the following declaration:

              "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and the new 
              things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of 
              them. ‘Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from 
              the end of the earth’. Let the wilderness and the cities 
              thereof lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar doth 
              inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing for joy, 
              let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them
              give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise 
              in the inlands."     Isaiah Chapter 42, Verses 9-12.

        In the Bible there is only one personality called Kedar. He was the grandson of Prophet Abraham, through his son Ishmael (see Gen. 25:13). Kedar's descendants had settled in Paran (Syno-Arabian dessert). In the Rabbinic literature Arabia is called the "Land of Kedar". Prophet Muhammad was a descendant of Kedar. We know that God did reveal in Arabia through Prophet Muhammad a "New Song" - the Qur'an (Koran). 

A REMARKS BY CRITIC "ANSWERING - ISLAM"

     Under the website entitled "answering-islam", sub-title 'Responses to Akbarally Meherally's site', Section A and Part 1, under URL
          http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Meherally/ 
the well known  Christian critic Andrew Vargo has made the following remarks after quoting the above passage. He writes:

This passage mentions the people of Kedar, but it also mentions the people of Sela. All of the peoples from the ends of the earth are connected and will praise God when he brings his chosen Servant.

      In the King James Versions (Old and Revised) the text reads: "the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitant of the rock sing."
Anyone who has visited Mekkah will tell you that area is rocky.
Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation in one of the caves of these hills. And, the peoples from the ends of the earth have been assembling at Mount Arafat near Mekkah, every year during the days of Hajj (Pilgrimage), and do Praise Allah, since the coming of prophet Muhammad "His chosen servant".

"The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself, now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once... I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known. I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These things I will do, and I will not forsake them. They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images; they say to the molten images, ‘Ye are our gods.’"        Isaiah 42:13/14-16/17.

     Looking at this “prophecy” from the same perspective as one would look at the earlier quoted prophecy for Jesus Christ, one would realize that prophet Muhammad was ushered or conducted through the entire process of his persecution, retaliation and the final victory, in accordance with the prophesied “Will of the Almighty God”. The ultimate goal of the "Will" was to bring the idolatry to end with force and then establish Islam, based upon the Belief in One God.

     Prophet Muhammad did go forth as "a mighty man of war" against the Pagan Arabs and prevailed upon the enemies of Lord - the idolaters. History records that Prophet Muhammad did put the pagan idolaters to great shame when he demolished before them, their 365 idols that were installed in Ka'bah (Mecca), the most respected place of pilgrimage in the whole of Arabia.  Today, Ka'bah is the Grand Mosque of Islam. Muslims from all over the world face towards Ka'bah while reciting their daily ritual prayers.

A REMARKS BY CRITIC "ANSWERING - ISLAM"

     Under the website entitled "answering-islam", sub-title 'Responses to Akbarally Meherally's site', Section A and Part 1, the well known  Christian critic Andrew Vargo has made the following remarks after quoting the above passage. He writes:

WRONG. The passage says that the LORD (the Hebrew word here is Jehovah) will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal. In other words, God will no longer restrain His wrath but will go forth as a mighty warrior (see Exodus 15:3) to destroy His people's and His enemies, and to deliver Israel (see Psalm 45:3). This passage does not refer to Muhammad in any way, shape, or form since he is not the LORD. 

      I had in the past heard this line of argument and attack. Hence I have already given, before quoting the passage from Isaiah, the example of the prophecy conveyed by Prophet Nathan to King David (please see above). I have also quoted the entire text of that prophecy - 2 Samuel 12:12 which I repeat in case the Critic has overlooked:

“Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.”                            2 Samuel 12:12 

"He will take what is mine..."
                         said Jesus Christ

   The Bible records that at the end of his Ministry, prophet Moses prophesied coming of another prophet like him in the future and Moses said; "you shall heed such a prophet" (Deut. 18:15). Similarly Jesus Christ also prophesied coming of another Comforter ("Spirit of Truth") like himself, in the future. Jesus also said;"When the Spirit of Truth comes, **he**  will guide you into all the truth, for **he**  will not speak on  **his**  own, but will speak whatever  **he**  hears, and  **he**  will declare to you the things to come. **He**  will glorify me, because  **he**  take what is mine and declare it to you."
                                          (John 16:12-14). 

   To read further on the subject of the "Spirit of Truth" and other prophecies from the Holy Bible for the coming of prophet Muhammad into Arabia with an army of "10,000 Holy Ones from Mount Paran",  please click  PROPHECIES

To visit the Home Page or to read other articles by the author, click:
INDEX

---

     Please send your comments to author 
Akbarally Meherally at webmaster9@mostmerciful.com